


For You to Take

by frotesque



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Fem!Wally, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 04:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13356231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frotesque/pseuds/frotesque
Summary: He didn't like his best friend like THAT. But it just so happened that he was perfectly capable of helping her out with this particular situation so really, why wouldn't he? A series of stolen kisses between best friends. [Genderbent Wally, but NOT part of Heroine/The Breeze canon]





	For You to Take

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GhostlyRed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostlyRed/gifts).



> So this here is a little gift to my pal GhostlyRed, who is very kind and supportive and DREW ME ART. I started working on this the second I realized they shipped Birdflash because low and behold, so do I. Please enjoy!

“Wait, wait, wait. These girls are teasing you because you haven’t had your first kiss?” Dick’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Why do they care?”

Wallis huffed, flopping onto her bed in frustration. “That’s what I’m saying! It doesn’t make sense, but… I don’t know, maybe if I did have it, they’d leave me alone.” She shrugged helplessly.

“Maybe,” He crossed his arms and leaned backwards in her desk chair as he watched her, “Or they would just find something else to tease you about.” Wrong thing to say.

Wallis folded in on herself even more, pulling her legs up to her chest, and a fresh round of tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Dick crossed the room to sit next to her on the bed, yanking off his glasses as he did so. “Oh, Walls. I’m sorry. I just meant that you should just ignore them.” His gaze was soft and apologetic.

“I know that,” She worried at her lip, “I mean, that’s what Iris said too. But I… I don’t know. I guess I kind of wish I _could_ have my first kiss.” She looked away, face red.

Dick quirked a brow. “Oh. Is that all? Well, uh, I’d do it. If you want.” He really had meant for that to come out a little more casual.

Wallis stared at him for a moment, searching his face for any sign that he was joking or teasing her. She found none. “Really?”

He shrugged. “Of course.”

She blushed again before turning to face him more fully. “Uh, yeah. I’d really appreciate it.”

“Cool.” Now he was blushing. He’d never felt this awkward around her, but suddenly he was hyper-aware of himself. The way he was just a little shorter than her. His scrawny build. His chapped lips. Worse still, he found himself just as aware of _her_.

It was unspoken between he and Roy, but they both knew that Wallis was kind of attractive. Bright red hair that shined, big green eyes that were always full of light and joy, pretty freckles that dusted her cheeks and nose. All things he rarely paid any mind to. Except now he was probably going to get to kiss soft, pink lips and he found himself wondering how he hadn’t considered something like this before.

“I guess we just, uh, do it?” Her face had yet to return to it’s normal complexion. Dick would’ve laughed if his own face didn’t feel like he’d just caught fire.

“I guess.” He mumbled, leaning in.

Wallis moved suddenly, and her lips pressed against his. It was terribly short and innocent. Barely a peck. But it was nice. She pulled away from him, grinning. “There! My very first kiss.” She stood, wiping the last of the wetness from her face. “Thanks a bunch, Rob. Seriously. Do you want to play on the X-Box?” He tone was light and jovial, as if she hadn’t been upset just moments prior.

He nodded dumbly, still feeling frozen in place.

“Sweet! I’ll ask Aunt I if she’ll make us some cookies or something.” And with that, she dashed away.

Her tailwind snapped him out of his trance. His tongue darted out, tasting the cherry-flavored wax Wallis’s chapstick left on his lips. He grinned after a moment, putting his glasses back on his face and rising so he could join her downstairs.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

* * *

 

Dick wasn’t a fool. He knew how his life would end sooner rather than later if he continued being a hero.

Still, he thought he had more time.

He’d done a pretty good job at shoving that to the back of his mind. Just as he ignored the pain of knowing Bruce was dead. Just as he ignored the fact that Wallis was clearly unraveling. If the last thing he ever did was save the world… Well, at least he could imagine it was all worth it.

Unfortunately, his best friend wasn’t making this easy for him.

“They… They’re all gone Rob.”

This was the first thing she’s said to him since he snapped at her to _focus,_ because they were all dead. There was no teleportation device. And they were maybe the only heroes still alive to try and stop this thing. Somehow, the whispered declaration hurt more than seeing it himself.

He finished setting the charges, eyes refusing to meet hers. Finally, she grabbed at his forearm. Her grip was strong, desperate. “Robin,” She whispered, “Dick.” The use of his name got his attention, and he met her eyes.

They were glassy, but no more tears fell. She reached up, yanking her cowl down. It revealed just how dirty the exposed portions of her face had gotten. Grit and smoke clung to her skin, making her look like a warrior. She was. Even crying and shaking he couldn’t picture anyone else when he thought of bravery.

“I’m sorry, Walls.” He mumbled, his own voice raspy as the grief of the day began to catch up with him. The charges were counting down now, but he stopped watching the clock in favor of having these final moments with his best friend.

“Don’t.” She placed a hand on his cheek, and despite the heat of the room, he leaned into it’s warmth. 

He smiled slightly, reaching up to run his fingers through the tangles in her hair. She hated to put on her cowl without braiding it first, but that’s exactly what she had done when the alert went out. He was kind of glad she hadn’t. This was most definitely the last thing he wanted to see.

The wild red tangle framed her face like a halo. Like the fires that burned all around them. The tears in her eyes had finally begun to fall again, cutting tracks into the grime on her face. Still, despite it all, she smiled back at him.

Dick reached up, pulling off his mask and dropping it to the ground between them. Her grin widened at the sight of his eyes. “I wouldn’t want to die with anyone else.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

She reciprocated the gesture immediately, burying her face in his shoulder. “Me either, Birdie.”

He pressed a kiss to temple before glancing at the count-down again. Five seconds. He pulled away slightly so they were looking at each other. “One more kiss,” he said, smiling at her through his own tears, “For the road.”

She laughed, but otherwise didn’t hesitate in capturing his lips with her own.

Then the world exploded.

And they woke up.

* * *

 

He found her by her souvenir display case.

Her gaze rested on the treasures before her, but he could tell her mind was elsewhere. He walked to stand beside her, close enough for her to glean comfort from his presence but not quite touching. He didn’t speak, knowing she would only be able to stand the silence between them for so long.

“I don’t know why this is so hard,” She said finally. “I mean, I know it was a simulation, but…” She looked over at him, “I felt it. I felt the grief and the fear and the explosion. I felt… you.” 

He met her eyes through his dark glasses. “I know. I did too.” His hand came to rest on her shoulder. “I don’t regret how it ended. For being an unbeatable scenario,” he smirked, “we came awfully close.”

She grinned back at him, though the look didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’m glad it was us in the end,” she turned to stare at her collection again, “I don’t know… How I would’ve handled watching you die.”

His hand fell to rest at his side. “I know what you mean. I guess that’s why I’m happy it _was_ us. I think if it ever comes down to it for real, I’d like to be by your side. And hey,” he nudged her with an elbow, wiggling his brows when she looked over at him, “what a way to go.”

She giggled this time, and he could see her posture straighten as her spirit returned. “You better hold on to the memory, Grayson. I only agreed to it because we were grieving and about to die or whatever.”

Dick rolled his eyes, knowing that she’d pick up on it even though his eyes were covered. “Whatever you say, West. I think you’ve been waiting to pounce.”

She snorted and shook her head. “Keep dreaming, Boy Blunder. In case you haven’t noticed, we only kiss under extreme emotional duress.”

“That does seem to be the pattern.” He was quiet for a moment. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to try it without all these external factors looming over them. He banished the thought as quickly as it came, however. Wallis was his best friend. Jeopardizing that for the sake of curiosity would be stupid.

She bit her lip, eyes dropping to look at her shoes for a moment. Then she spoke, meeting his eyes again as she did so. “Maybe just… one more? For the road?” She blushed even as she said it.

The call back to his last words to her made him smile. Then he realized what she was asking. His mouth was suddenly very dry. “Why not?” He mumbled. He quickly ran his tongue over his lips, wetting them. Then he grabbed the back of her head gently and guided her forward until their lips met.

His eyes fell closed as hers did, and he was struck once again by how nice this felt. He hadn’t kissed enough girls to know if Wallis was particularly good, but he knew that if this really was the last time he’d get to do this, he was going to enjoy himself fully.

Something about this was different though, and he wasn’t sure if it was because this was something of a goodbye or because the shy pecks they’d shared previously just didn’t feel like enough anymore. Either way, Wallis opened her mouth – just slightly with a soft sigh – and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Their noses bumped as Wallis began to explore his mouth, her arms coming up to tangle in dark hair. Her fingers bumped his glasses, knocking them askew. She pulled away long enough to giggle, breathless, before plucking them from his face and staring into his eyes. “Oh, Birdie.” She whispered, and Dick was pulling her close again.

Their teeth clacked in his excitement, which gave them pause for all of three seconds before it was forgotten in favor of tangling limbs and tongues. Dick wished he could stay in this moment for longer, because really he could probably kiss his best friend forever and not get tired of it, but his lungs had started to scream at him, and he could hear and feel Wallis’s breath turning into soft panting as she too struggled to breathe.

Dick began to pull away, earning a sad sigh from Wallis. He made sure to separate from her completely, putting a good foot of space between them. He knew that if he remained in her embrace that he wouldn’t be able to stop anytime soon.

She simply stared at him for a moment, lips pink and swollen and so, _so_ tempting. “That was,” her voice had this breathy quality to it that somehow made him feel even warmer than before, “one hell of a parting gift.” She smiled at him then, before reaching down and picking up his glasses from where she’d dropped them previously.

He took them from her when she held them out to him, placing them back on his face before speaking. “I always do get you the best presents,” he returned her smile.

She fussed with her hair for a moment, tugging her fingers through in the hopes of looking less disheveled. He almost told her not to bother. After all, her hair was pretty much always a mess when it wasn’t pulled up or braided. “We, uh, we probably shouldn’t do that again.”

The thought sat in his gut like a weight. He knew that, of course, but hearing it aloud made it harder to come to terms with. “Probably.” He lifted his hand, curling it into a fist. “Bros?”

She laughed and bumped her fist against his. “Always. Let’s go to the kitchen, Megan’s been baking like her life depends on it.”

He watched her bounce away, wishing that things could be different. Wallis was his best friend in the whole world. A couple sweet kisses – and the most mind-blowing unbelievable kiss he’d ever had – was not worth so many years of friendship. He’d lost a lot of good things in his life.

And he was determined that this wouldn’t be one of them.

* * *

 

Barry gave him her old goggles.

At the funeral, while he stared at the headstone where they’d buried an empty casket. He wished he could turn away, walk back to his car and drive home and begin healing. But he couldn’t _move_. He just kept rereading the engravings over and over and over again.

_Wallis Gertrude West. Daughter. Friend. Hero._

His chest burned so badly he thought he’d never be able to breathe right again. Tears had begun to fall, which was ridiculous because he’d cried so much since watching her disappear he wasn’t sure how there were any tears left.

He knew when Barry walked up behind him, because not even grief that felt like it was choking the life from him could dull senses honed by so many years of training. They stood there together for a moment, unmoving. It was Barry that broke the silence. He and Wallis were alike in that they hated empty air between friends.

“I want you to have these.” His voice was hoarse, terribly so, and Dick wanted to feel bad because he knew that there were others taking this loss just as hard.

Dick looked at the item in Barry’s hand. He recognized the red goggles instantly. “Me?” He whispered. That was the only volume he could manage.

Barry nodded, holding them out to the younger man. “I remember a day when she came home, talking so fast that even I could barely keep up, about her new friend Robin and how he modified these for her.” Even as he spoke his lips curled into a small, fond smile. It was a mere shade of his usual grin, however.

Dick wished his hand wasn’t shaking so badly as he took them from the other man. His fingers wrapped around them, gripping them tightly. “Th-Thanks Uncle B.”

His gaze fell back to the headstone immediately. Rereading again. And again. And again. He felt Barry grip his shoulder and squeeze. “She loved you, you know. She felt bad about leaving the team, but I could tell she felt worse about leaving _you_. Thank you, Dick. For being good to her. For being her friend.”

Dick didn’t look, but he could hear Barry’s breath grow more ragged as he succumbed once again to his grief. A moment later Iris came over, hugging Barry tightly and pulling him away from the grave.

Dick’s gaze fell to the goggles in his hands, thumb trailing over the straps. He froze when he noticed a strand of bright red hair tangled in the clasp. He felt his legs give out, and barely registered falling to his knees.

He was sobbing now, hoarse cries tearing from his throat on their own accord. He vaguely registered another presence joining him on the dirt. A large hand came to rest at the base of his neck.

“Dick,” Bruce’s voice was soft, “We have to go. Being here… It won’t help. You know that.” He held some tissues out, low enough for only him to be able to see.

Dick took them, wiping his nose as he began to calm. Even though he and Bruce hadn’t been on the best of terms lately, something about his father’s steady presence made him feel like he was on solid ground again. He looked over, only mildly surprised to see the redness in the man’s eyes.

Bruce wasn’t one for openly expressing emotion, but Wallis West had done a fine job at worming her way into his heart. He’d never told her, but Dick knew that Bruce had started buying certain snacks for the manor because _she_ liked them, not because he or Dick ate them. He also knew that the ‘big bad bat’ was often one of the first people to go check on her whenever she would be injured.

Dick breathed out what was almost a laugh. “You too, huh?”

Bruce shook his head, lips quirking. “I suppose none of us were immune.”

It was true. Wallis had a spirit and enthusiasm that was infectious. Dick squeezed the goggles in his hand once again. “Can we go home?”

Bruce nodded. “Always, son.”

And suddenly Dick knew that things between he and Bruce would be alright. Hell, _he_ may even be alright someday. He cast the headstone one more long look as Bruce helped him rise and began leading him to their car.

Someday.

* * *

 

“Hey!” The exclamation came from one Wallis West, who had begun poking through his room. “These are mine!”

Dick followed the sound of her voice. He’d been in the kitchen putting the final touches on the dinner he had made for them. Every weekend he, Wallis, and Roy switched off cooking and hosting the others in their respective apartments. Unfortunately, Roy couldn’t be there that week since Lian had caught a nasty cold from daycare.

He froze when he got to the doorway of his room, recognizing the item in her hand immediately. “Oh, right. Barry, uh, Barry gave them to me at your funeral.”

She blinked at him, goggles in one hand and wine glass in the other. “Huh. Well, I guess I didn’t need them.”

Dick didn’t laugh. Wallis was really the only one who thought jokes about her ‘death’ were funny. “You can have them back… If you want.” He’d grown attached to them, of course, but his best friend had returned and it almost seemed silly for him to put up a fight about her taking them.

She looked down at them, running a thumb over the lens. “Nah, keep ‘em. I’ve learned how to use the Speed Force to protect my eyes.” She grinned, looking up at him as she placed them back in the drawer she found them in. “Still, crazy nostalgia.”

He hummed in agreement, but she could tell his mood had somewhat soured. She placed the wine glass on the desk before walking over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

“What’s the matter, Birdie?”

He struggled to find the words. “…Those were all I had left of you, for a while.”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “Not anymore.”

He frowned. “Not anymore…”

Her smile faltered. “Dick, everyone else has gotten over this. I’ve been back for a couple months now. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

He huffed. “I know that, I just,” his hands clenched into fists between them, “do you remember what happened after that botched training simulation?”

She blushed. “How could I forget?”

“I told you then, I didn’t know what I’d do if I had to watch you die. Well now I know and,” he stared down at his hands, “and it’s worse than I had imagined. I couldn’t… Everything felt _wrong_.”

She pressed her hands to his face, forcing him to look at her. “What do you want me to say, Dick? I can’t promise it’ll never be like that again. That’s the life we signed up for.”

“I _know_ that,” he heaved out a sigh, “I’m not asking for that.”

“Then what _are_ you asking for?”

Let it be known that at the beginning of this conversation, Richard Grayson had absolutely no intention to kiss his best friend again. But as it were, his body moved before his brain could catch up, and before he could stop himself, he found his lips crashing against hers.

There was none of the hesitation that had characterized their past kisses in this one. Wallis wasted no time in opening her mouth to him, and he found himself lost in her. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and after a moment her legs did the same around his waist.

Dick pulled away long enough to adjust his grip on her, hands brushing down her back to hold her from her bottom. She took the opportunity to nip playfully at his bottom lip before trailing soft, wet kisses from the top of his jaw to his chin.

As nice as her ministrations were, he was impatient and wanted her lips back on his _now_. “ _Walls_.” He breathed, and she knew what he was asked immediately. The others had always joked that the best friends were practically telepathically linked.

She met his lips once more, tongue going from inquisitive and searching to playful and flighting. He felt like he was on fire, with more and more heat travelling downwards. He was so wrapped up in her taste and her smell and the way she felt in his arms that he almost didn’t notice her giggling into his mouth.

He opened his eyes and pulled back just slightly, though their mouths still brushed as he spoke. “What’s so funny?”

She shook her head with a grin, causing their noses to bump. “It’s _really_ stupid.”

He peppered her lower face with tiny kisses, prompting a laugh from her. “Tell me.”

“Okay, okay,” she giggled at his assault, “I was just going to say ‘is that your dick, Grayson’? Get it? Because your name is Dick and you have a hard-on.” She continued laughing even as Dick froze, staring at her.

“Wallis West. Seriously?”

She began laughing harder. “I’m sorry! I told you it was bad, but it was making me laugh. I’ll focus.” She tried in vain to work her face into a more serious expression. “So, where were we?”

Dick sighed. “The moment’s dead, West. You killed it in cold blood.”

“Dude!” She dropped her legs back to the ground. “I’m _sorry_! We can go back to kissing!”

He sighed overdramatically, making a show of pulling away. “I’m not feeling it anymore. Besides, dinner is getting cold.”

She had begun to pout at his actions, but the mention of food visibly lifted her spirits once more. “Dinner, then more kissing after?” Her eyes were wide and her hands were clasped in front of her chest.

“Definitely more kissing after.”

She grinned at him before leading the way into the kitchen, grabbing his hand so she could tug him along. Dick let himself be pulled, stupid grin firmly in place. He’d always feared something like this would ruin their friendship. But Wallis had died and come back and she still enjoyed this and he still enjoyed it and if there were ever a time to throw caution to the wind…

It was now. It was worth it.


End file.
